James's Week

Monday 5/1

James’s birthday week has officially begun. Instead of doing a big birthday party we do little birthday play dates with individual friends throughout the week. I found this was a lot more enjoyable for everyone. James was so excited to give me his list of friends. We might have to spread it to next week too haha! We had a slow morning before it was time to go. I’ve just got to say, I love our reorganised entryway so much. Having all the shoes in the house in one place with enough space is honestly such a peaceful way to leave and enter the house!

By noon we were at my friend Loira’s house. James’s first friends here in London were Tomas and Samuel. He loves them so much. They got out their beyblades and had so much for the first hour. James and George are so happy to have their own.

It was lovely to chat with Loira. It has been ages since we’ve seen each other so it was nice to catch up on our lives. She is such a strong and lovely person and I love learning from her. Soon pizza was ready from the kids and we sang Happy Burthday to James. After a bit of dancing we headed home.

Soon James’s friends Lilia, Amelia, and Izumee came to celebrate James. This was their first time to ours and they looked like they were in heaven. They ran around so much and I love hearing them laugh. These girls are such good friends to James.

After an hour we walked over to the soft play for more fun. They ran straight in. They had so much energy to use. It was quite busy since most people have an inset day today but the kids didn’t mind. It was hard to keep track of them because they just love chasing each other around.

We then headed back to the house after our session. They were all sweating. They played another game as I got the cupcakes ready. Then we all sat down and sang to James. I love celebrating this kid. He is so brilliant. We cycled all his friends home and then got back when Matt was home from work. We had some dinner and then headed to bed.

Tuesday 6/1

James was all ready for school by 7:45am. When I wake up for my early hour it sets off an internal timer inside the boys and they get up soon after. But by 8am we got a message from the school saying it was cancelled due to the boiler being broken. I was so happy to have James for an extra day!

It was a freezing morning. I couldn’t feel my extremities. I had a play date set up with my friends Heather, Stefani, and Cheyenne. We all met at Stefani’s house. It was so nice seeing all my friends after the holidays. These are my golden friends. They are my world. George was so happy to have James around and it sounded like the kids had so much fun. The boys were so excited to see it snowing and loved going out to play in it.

Just after 2pm we said our goodbyes and headed back home. We went to Wendell Park to meet up with our next friends. My friend Morgan arrived with her boys soon. I was so happy to see her. I had my warmest clothes on but soon I felt numb in every area of my body.

My friend Sian arrived as well with her kids. It was definitely a party and we passed the cupcakes around. The kids played until they were in too much pain because of the cold. Usually they generate heat through play but the cold was stopping them from playing haha!

We then headed home. We all sat on George’s bed which is right next to the radiator. The boys brought over a book and we sat and read for ages. It was about 90 minutes. They were so happy to cuddle up and relax. I was not feeling my best today. I felt a deep sadness. As I am doing work on rewiring my nervous system I feel so vulnerable and exposed when I go out. Being home is my safe place. I know I won’t feel like this forever. The future is hopeful. When Matt got home we had dinner and headed off to bed.

Wednesday 7/1

James’s first day back to school since the holidays! He was actually excited. It was a bit warmer today but still so cold. The boiler was still broken at school but they were able to get some space heaters to warm it up. George and I went back and I got busy at clearing the hallway. We had so much recycling to sort. George was happy to help.

After we had lunch George had a nap. Then we went to pick up James. Today we were celebrating James’s birthday with his friends Elliot and Finley. These girls mean so much to him and Finley is always there for him. They had made muffins for us when we came around. The best vegan muffins ever! The kids played so happily until it was our time to go.

When we got home we sat down by the radiator and read. I was with the boys until it Matt got there and I headed out for Young Women’s. We had so many girls show up. We decorated journals for our study and lessons. Afterwards I had a meeting with the presidency. I love being with this group so much. I got home just after 9pm. I headed to bed soon after.

Thursday 8/1

We dropped James off at school and then got busy at our next project in Swedish Death Cleaning: our storage closet (aka the spare bathroom). We throw so much in here when they don’t have a place to go and it can get pretty bad. George helped me pull everything out. This is my project for the next 2 weeks. We stopped for lunch and then had a nap.

When we picked James up from school we headed to my friend Veronica’s house. It was raining. Buckets of rain. It was like cycling through a waterfall for 30 minutes. My waterproofs had soaked through when we got there. But it was so nice to see Veronica again. I missed being with her. The boys also had so much fun. They only stopped running around when pizza arrived and we sang Happy Birthday for James.

Cycling home in the rain was the worse. It was cold, windy and even more rainy. My waterproofs were already wet and my coat soaked through so it was torture. But when I got home I snuggled under the covers. It was good to be home and warm again.

Friday 9/1

Another slow morning. Is it weird that I wake up so excited just to stay home. It feels like such a treat. I’m becoming such an introvert haha! After dropping James off at school, George and I took the bike to the bike shop. It was scheduled a service. It really needed it. My thumb nail broken off when we were there and that was extremely painful. We made it back home and rested together with a film.

After lunch George had a nap. When he woke up we went to pick up James. As soon as we had James we went straight to the bike shop to get our bike. The boys were so excited about taking the bus haha! My thumb was still in so much pain. When we got back home I got busy packing.

For our family celebration of James’s Birthday James chose for us to sleep at the purple hotel and go to his favourite soft play. We got there before Matt got there. The boys were so excited to open their sweets and watch some TV while they waited for Matt. When he got there we went down to the hotel restaurant to eat dinner. We then went back to the room and went to sleep.

Saturday 10/1

Just like last year, I was feeling poorly. It was freezing outside and all I wanted to do was rest. But we had a fun day planned and I wanted to be there with James. When we woke up we all went downstairs to have breakfast. Then it was back upstairs to get ready and watch so CBBC.

Just before noon we headed off on our bike. We dropped off our suitcases at home and then cycled the rest of the way to the soft play. James loves Snakes & Ladders. It was busy but the boys didn’t seem to mind that. They ran straight in.

Matt and I joined them for the first 30 minutes. We tried to keep up with the boys. They were so happy we were tagging along. Matt struggled in a few parts because he was so tall. I am grateful I stopped growing when I was 12 haha!

We had some lunch and then the boys wanted to head back in. I gave them challenges to complete that would keep them running back in. In the last half and hour we played hide and seek with the boys. We didn’t realise that it would be so challenging because of how busy it was.

When our play session was over we headed home. We froze on our cycle. It was so cold. I couldn’t feel my hands. After we had dinner we got out some Lego that James got gifted from his friends. The boys worked so hard. I am really impressed with how good George is at Lego! We then headed to sleep when it was bedtime.

Sunday 11/1

James’s birhtday!!! And of course, it was below freezing. We decided we would take the car to church. It was just to cold to cycle. The boys were happy with that choice. Matt had a talk to give so the boys brought their favourite things to keep busy. Matt’s talk was brilliant.

For the second hour, Matt went with the boys to primary and I had a special temple lesson with the youth. It was a packed room and it was so good. I am so grateful to be serving with the youth. Once church was over we changed our clothes and got ready for our next adventure.

We drove the car to Battersea Park. Today James was having a birthday play date with his best friend Chloe who lives in Greenwich. Sunday is really the only day we can meet up. We got to the playground a bit early but the boys didn’t mind that.

James was so happy to be at this playground. It’s been years since he’s been here. I loved to see how happy he was. They loved going down the slide a million times. When Chloe got here she joined in. They were having the time of their lives.

They even got James a gift. Some more Lego which he was so excited about. I loved playing with James and his friends. I didn’t have much energy and in the rain it was even less but whenever he asked me too I would join in. We had a bit of lunch and then realised we needed to find shelter from the rain.

We walked to the Power Station to get dry. It was so wet. We walked around the shopping centre together. It was so good to catch up with Megan. She is one of my closest friends and it’s so special being with her. I loved her to bits. James and George love Chloe just as much. We said goodbye to each other just after 5pm. We then got in the car and drove home to eat dinner. Then it was time to get into bed. We read as many stories as James wanted. His special day. I am so happy he was born. He made me a mum. He has brought me so close to heaven. And he still does. I love him so much.